Former New Rochelle Police Office Sentenced to 5 Years "Shock Probation" in Online Teen Sex Case

Former New Rochelle Police Officer Matthew Melillo was sentenced to 5 years "shock probation" on charges related to Disseminating Indecent Material to a Minor, videos of himself in a sexual act. Melillo plead guilty in April to Attempted to Disseminating Indecent Material to a Minor, a class “E” Felony.

Melillo will have a sex offender hearing on September 17th.

Talk of the Sound broke the story of Melillo's arrest September 12, 2012.

At the time, New Rochelle City Manager Charles B. Strome told Talk of the Sound Melillo was suspended without pay for 30 days. Melillo is no longer employed by the City of New Rochelle.

Melillo was employed by the New Rochelle Police Department for eight years. He was employed as Community Service Officer from 2004 to 2010, and was employed as a Police Officer from July 2010 until soon after his arrest.

Melillo was alleged to have transmitted videos of himself engaged in a sexual act to what he believed to be 15 year-old girl. The "girl" was an undercover criminal investigator working for the Westchester County District Attorney.

Matthew Melillo, 31, 475 North Avenue, New Rochelle, New York, was arraigned on a Felony Complaint charging him with one count of Attempted to Disseminating Indecent Material to a Minor, a class “E” Felony.

Between August 3rd, and August 29th, 2012, the defendant engaged an undercover investigator from the Westchester County District Attorneys Office in a series of “chat” conversations through the Internet.

Throughout the “chats” the undercover investigator made it clear that “she” was a fifteen year old girl.

During that period of time the defendant discussed various specific sexual acts in which he would engage the “fifteen year old girl.”

Additionally, the defendant sent a video he claimed to be of himself in a sexual situation while he was “chatting” with the fifteen year old.

The defendant was arrested by investigators from the Westchester County District Attorneys office.

Investigators from the District Attorney's office did not inform the City of New Rochelle or the New Rochelle Police Department of the investigation of one of their officers until Melillo was arrested. DA Investigators then went to NRPD headquarters to search Melillo's locker and checking computers.

According to the Stepinac alumni web site, Melillo graduated from Stepinac High School in 1998. He played football for the school.

In 2010, Jose Martinez plead guilty to repeatedly sexually assaulting a student in his office at Isaac E. Young Middle School. Despite promises to do so, the New Rochelle Board of Education never conducted an investigation into the Martinez case nor made the results public.

As noted in the article, there will be a hearing in September regarding the sexual predator law. Depending on how he is classified (based on likelihood of recidivism) he may or may not have to notify neighbors.